Thanks for the advice, Owen. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying though. My understanding is that there's only one magnet that signals to the iPad that the cover is closed (the one circled in red in the teardown). The rest are just there to keep it attached or to allow the cover to form a stand, right? As long as I follow the pattern in which the magnets are situated in the teardown, shouldn't it work fine? Someone in another thread was considering these magnets to mod a cover to make it act like a smart cover. Do you think that would work? One of my main concerns is that I'll choose the wrong type of magnet or too strong of a magnet and it will screw up the iPad. I was kind of hoping to put my own together, as I like the idea of the Smart Cover, but I'm not crazy about the way they look. I was thinking I could come up with one that had a little more personality.

Pete, Jun 27 2012

Well you would have to follow the pattern and also keep the right polarity. If I put a magnet to my iPad it will either attract or repel depending on the position. If you want I would just buy a smart cover and use it for the magnets and maybe even the part that attaches to the iPad. You don't really need to pay attention to magnet strength as long as it isn't incredibly strong. The iPad has no physical/mechanical hard drive so you really can't screw up the one think that magnets have been known to screw up. You also have no fan also. If you want a cheep smart cover you can probably buy an used one off ebay (you only need the magnets) or you can get a pretty cheap one here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/iPad-2-3-Smart-C... Get back to me with your thoughts.

Owen Cunneely, Jun 28 2012